With its cosmopolitan atmosphere and strong Celtic heritage, the port city of Santander in northern Spain offers tourists a different type of Iberian travel experience. Surrounded by verdant hills nestling in the shadow of the nearby Picos de Europa mountains, it's a city that's well off the beaten tourist track but at the same time very well endowed with first-rate visitor attractions. Santander caters admirably for culture vultures with a plethora of top-notch museums, such as the amazing Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology which expertly illustrates the prehistoric world of the Paleolithic period and the Iron Age in the context of the local area. Equally enthralling is the Cantábrico Maritime Museum (and aquarium) where families can have a lot of fun gaining a thorough understanding of the relationship between the ocean and humans throughout history. Constructed in the Gothic style, Santander's magnificent 13th-century cathedral (Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción) features a fine 15th-century square cloister and a small church in the crypt housing the tombs of two very early martyred Christian saints - Celedonius and Emeterius. Reaching the best beaches in the region is easy with a car hire in Santander, most notably those of Puerto Chico less than a mile from the city centre and Playa del Magdalena, a long stretch of fine golden sands situated in a beautiful part of the city.
Established in 1954, Auto Europe is a leading entity in the international car rental industry. We are fully committed to helping you organise your visit to Santander as cheaply as possible. You can pick up your car hire at a convenient point downtown or collect it from Santander Airport (named after the golf champion Seve Ballesteros) just a 10-minute drive from the city centre. Due to the strong working relationships we have developed with all the top vehicle rental providers over the past seven decades, we are in a position to be able to offer you rates that are much lower than booking direct. You'll also have the added bonus of being able to choose from the widest choice of vehicles available on the market. For total peace of mind, please read the comments left by some of Auto Europe's past customers in the city in the Santander car hire reviews section below.
" Awful customer service and unhelpful in securing a refund "
" My problem is not with Goldcar but Auto Europe "
Value for Money: 1 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 1 Expediency of Drop-off: 1 Condition of the Vehicle: 1
" . "
" ... "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Good price, rental was trouble free "
" No queue and pre-registered so pickup was easy. Car was clean and in good condition. Early flight so left keys in drop off box and car was checked in by the time of return to UK. No issues or problems of any sort "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 9
" Auto Europe has always been an efficient and economical choice for us and we've always been very happy, until this rental which was fulfilled by click rent for the reasons described above. We are sure that auto Europe will be able to resolve this. "
" I videod the entire car on collection as it had a big dent on the bonnet and no prison was given. I videoed it also on return and there was no additional damages but they charged me €350 saying I damaged the wing mirror! It was perfect and undamaged when I gave back the vehicle and I have the video to prove this. This is either an error or fraudulent activity. I hope Auto Europe who I have trusted for many years are able to resolve this. I have the evidence available. "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 9 Expediency of Drop-off: 5 Condition of the Vehicle: 3
" Good experience from start to finish at Santander airport. Would definitely choose Keddy again "
" Sandra at pick up desk was friendly and efficient. No pressure sales for extras which was refreshing. Easy pick up process we were just advised to take a video of the car before driving off in case of quibbles on return, which there weren't. The car itself wasn't in tip top condition, a few dents and scratches, about two years old which from my experience was rather old for a hire car but the only defect in practice was a squeaky wiper blade which didn't clear the rain very well. "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 8
" None "
" The condition of the car was very poor, there were 20 or so areas of damage to the car, quite a number of them significant scratches and dents. Ended up wasting over an hour on our first evening emailing photos to Hertz to show all the damage. Why was the car presented in this manner and not repaired prior to being rented out? Arrangements in Santander to return the car were poor, had to queue at the main desk for 15 minutes to get somebody to come and look at the car, they were busy with clients wanting to collect their cars and there was no one specifically to deal with returning cars. Given all the damage on collection expected more support from them in speedily checking the car back in. Would have been very uncomfortable to have just left the keys given the condition of the car. Disappointing. "
Value for Money: 8 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 6 Expediency of Drop-off: 5 Condition of the Vehicle: 2
" Happy with Autocar but not Goldcar. "
" Unfortunately I was charged for being g mate when I arrived at the airport before the 10pm. I was late as there was nobody there to pick us up and take us to our vehicle. There was no signage or instructions that I had to get a shuttle bus. I had two small children with me and felt lost. I was told I could claim my money back from Ryanair as the flight was 50 minutes delayed. I felt pressure I had to pay the €40 euro just so I cited continue with my 2 hour drive to my hotel. I also felt pressured to spend €175 into another insurance even though I had already paid for full cover with Eutoeurop. I explained this and yet the staff continued to pressure me upon collection. "
Value for Money: 5 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 5 Expediency of Drop-off: 8 Condition of the Vehicle: 9
" Staff were great "
" Super friendly staff made the experience great. "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Disappointed "
" Everything was going good until I return home only to fined I've been charged e7.66 extra with no explanation. I videoed the car on collection and also when I returned it. The fuel on collection read full with 609 km, I returned it full with 677km. It's just greed. "
Value for Money: 1 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 1 Expediency of Drop-off: 1 Condition of the Vehicle: 1
" . "
" . "
Value for Money: 8 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 8 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 8
" Only gripe was the instructions of where to go to collect the vehicle, no one seemed to know the pick up point, and if I knew where the office was, I could have walked to it in 5mins with out the stress. "
" Loved the people in the office, very helpful and friendly, I got an upgrade for very little more money "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Good car, friendly staff, no pressure selling of insurance etc "
" Good car, friendly staff, no pressure selling of insurance etc "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Easy to use and helpful email communications. "
" All very friendly and helpful. Car was slightly dirty when we picked it up but nothing significant. Nice car and staff. "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 9
" Under staffed and took forever to get the car at the airport in Santander. Very stressed employee who was trying her best but it took forever. Not really sure why we got a £3 further charge to it credit card on our return but couldn't be bothered to argue over it as amount was so small. "
" Never recommend car rental companies to my friends "
Value for Money: 9 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 4 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 7
" Easy and trouble free "
" Excellent service at pickup, lovely staff to deal with. "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Auto Europe were very competitive on price "
" Very competitive price and nice car "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" It was just lovely. Staff very friendly and helpful "
" Staff very helpful and friendly "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Véase pregunta no. 3. "
" 1. Al recoger el coche la agente me cobró EUR 80 para aumentar el kilometrage aunque le dije que yo pensaba que era ilimitado. Como en aquel momento no tuve imprimido el contrato, no hubo más remedio que pagárselo. Al devolver el coche se lo expliqué de nuevo y le mostré el contrato imprimido en que estaba escrito "Includes unlimited mileage". Ella lo fotocopió y me dijo que me iba a devolver los EUR 80. Todavía los espero. 2. A pesar de esto la agente era profesional y amable. 3. El parabrisas estaba sucia (grasienta) adentro. "
Value for Money: 8 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 4 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 6
" Good searching and helpful cancelling processes "
" Efficient and friendly staff "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 9 Condition of the Vehicle: 8
" Very smooth process! "
" Drop off procedure was not clear. No Budget staff at the drop off lot and no signs directing customers what to do with the car. Usually rental agencies inspect car on return and issue receipt. Budget office in parking lot was empty with only a cryptic note "Check with Budget office." Unclear if we should wait for staff or leave the car uninspected and bring keys to office in airport. "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 7 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Easy to book but I don't know how good AutoEurope is when things go wrong- e.g. when there is a damage to the car that I need to reclaim. "
" The car had a lot of damage to it already and it was filthy when I picked it up. "
Value for Money: 7 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 1
" I ordered and paid for a car which you rented from Click Rent, which closes 5 minutes after my plane was due to land. You knew my flight number and it's arrival time. This booking was never capable of being fulfilled. I request a refund and obviously will contact you to discuss. This caused me gross inconvenience with stress, taxi fare, wasted day in having to hire another vehicle the following day "
" They cancelled my reservation and left me without a car, in the middle of nowhere on a Saturday night "
Value for Money: 1 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 1 Expediency of Drop-off: 1 Condition of the Vehicle: 1
" very easy to book and rebook if needbe! "
" excellent service from the agent who served us. IF ONLY all car rental firms could act the same way, we would be a lot happier. Of course, customers also need to behave responsibly. Based on our experience, we have decided to choose ClickRent whenever we have the option! "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" See above "
" We were very pleased with the car in every respect except for a major safety issue which became apparent when we experienced a flat front tyre. When we took the car to a garage to have the tyre replaced the mechanic pointed out that the tyre was bald and not within the legal requirement. He was shocked when we told him that the car was a rental car and from Hertz. He then inspected the other front tyre and showed us that this was also bald and also not within the legal requirement. We emailed Hertz to inform them of this and to ask for a refund for the punctured tyre and we are still waiting for a reply. We took photos of both tyres and sent them to Hertz; we also kept the punctured tyre as proof and showed both bald tyres to a Hertz representative when we returned the car to the airport. We think that as a minimum the cost of the replacement tyre should be refunded to us and frankly Hertz should refund us the whole rental cost as they leased us a car in an unsafe condition. "
Value for Money: 1 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 1
" Excellent service!! "
" Very helpful, minimal upselling "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Easy "
" Took a few minutes to find the rental desk - it's Europcar "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Good experience, excellent car "
" Great car, service, no problems "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" First time hiring in Europe. Thank you for making it easy "
" Helpful staff. "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 9
" Easy site to use. "
" Third time used at Santander airport. Staff are very friendly and efficient. "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Please see my statement as above "
" I returned the car in perfect condition but was allowed to take the agent to check it out etc I was simply told to hand over keys on return to uk I received an email saying that the car was damaged This is untrue I have replied to the email saying that the car was perfect I have no way of knowing which car they looked at but on other rentals I have been able to check when returning I suspect that i was denied this because it is an easy way for unscrupulous agents to try and earn money I therefore contest the account they have given and i would require you as the company that I booked with to take this matter forward with them I retain my right without prejudice in this matter "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 5 Expediency of Drop-off: 1 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" No issues all good "
" Easy on airport pickup "
Value for Money: 8 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 7 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Auto Europe are fine... no problem with them "
" ok.. I have no quibble with Auto Europe -- they are a good company and I trust them. I spoke to them when I had a problem with the car and they were very helpful. The problem is Goldcar and specifically Goldcar at Santander airport. 1. We had to wait nearly an hour outside Santander airport for the minibus shuttle pick up.. We phoned repeatedly but couldn't get through to anyone; turned out the number AutoEurope give is for the Madrid office anyway. After consulting the tourist office desk at the airport we obtained the local Goldcar number and got through to them -- they said they'd send a pick up vehicle. Eventually it arrived. 2. We drove c 100kms to our destination that day. The next day I went to start the car and the service warning light came on (ie service overdue) as well as the oil warning light. I checked the oil -- there was absolutely nothing on the dipstick -- not a trace of oil. Not wanting to seize the engine up I walked 5 kms to a service station and bought some oil. Everything was closed on Sunday so on Monday I managed to get the car to a garage and asked a mechanic to make sure exactly the correct amount of oil was put in. Using the dipstick he measured it accurately and we set off with the correct amount of oil now in the engine. Cost; 34 Euros for oil. 14 Euros for labour. total 48Euros. 3. We dropped the car off in good time. Goldcar didn't seem particularly bothered or apologetic but said they would refund the 48Euros to my credit card.. I hope they get on and do this. We then had to stand around for over half an hour waiting until they gave us a lift to the airport... what was also unsettling was the fact that a customer picking up a car was accompanied by her mother who was on crutches... it was excruciating having to watch this poor old lady standing there on crutches in the heat... None of the staff offered her a seat. I know it is a new set up for Goldcar at Santander airport but I don't think they've quite got the hang of the car hire business yet... "
Value for Money: 1 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 1 Expediency of Drop-off: 1 Condition of the Vehicle: 1
" Easy to arrange and deal with, competitive pricing. "
" Due to flight delay when we arrived at hire desk it was closed for lunch, knock on effect waiting several hours to be able to collect hire car "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Everything was good EXCEPT the credit card block was not 950 euros as stated on my confirmation but 2200 euros!!!! I showed them the confirmation, they said to take it up with you "
" Everything was good EXCEPT the credit card block was not 950 euros as stated on my confirmation but 2200 euros!!!! I showed them the confirmation they said to take it up with you "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 8 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Good value and details of car etc were accurate "
" Process was smooth and straightforward "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 9 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Fluent booking process "
" Long wait to pick up car due to limited number of agents "
Value for Money: 6 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 7 Condition of the Vehicle: 9
" Rubbish "
" I raised a complaint "
Value for Money: 1 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 1 Expediency of Drop-off: 1 Condition of the Vehicle: 1
" A great experience and I will use Hertz again. "
" I had a problem with my car and the Hertz staff sorted it out without any fuss. "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" X "
" X "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Excellent "
" Very good "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 8 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Normally I have quite a good experience with cars I book thro autoEurope. This was disappointing on the part of this individual Dollar employee "
" Pick up of the car was no problem. Very nice helpful staff at the desk. The car was lovely and clean and drove really well with no problems at all. On returning the car, however, although I was the only customer at the desk, I was disappointed when the staff member refused to check the car with me. She kept repeating that she could not until she phoned someone first. She said that would take up to 20 minutes and then she could confirm whether or not the car was OK and that the block was removed from my credit card. Anyway she said she would email me to update me. I had to go away but came back a couple of times between 20 & 30 minutes later but no one was at the desk. Then I had to go and catch my flight. I have still received no email from dollar. I was left anxious about the block on my credit card. But on checking my credit card account, it seems to be removed. I don't understand why - in this small airport with the car close by and no customers at the desk - this employee could not just step out and check the car; or at least keep her word to be back in 20 minutes or send an email. I was disappointed. "
Value for Money: 7 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 6 Expediency of Drop-off: 5 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Trustes and competent "
" Seamless "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" I would never use Hertz again and would advise any one who does to take Hertz full cover insurance. "
" It took about 45 minuses Inthe qué to pick up my vehicle they were very slow One tiny scratch on the Wheel cost me £126 robbery. "
Value for Money: 1 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 1 Expediency of Drop-off: 1 Condition of the Vehicle: 1
" Everything was great and helped to create a very happy break. Thank you. "
" All was excellent- very efficient with a warm, friendly and very helpful counter assistant on taking and returning the car. "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Apart from pickup very good "
" Only downside was not being told where to wait outside terminal, didn't know that office was off airport "
Value for Money: 9 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 8 Expediency of Drop-off: 3 Condition of the Vehicle: 7
" very easy and smooth experience. staff at airport were helpful and kind. "
" great esperience. "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Good value. Decent service "
" Difficult to locate pick up point Car had not been refuelled, Was supposed to be 100% but supplied with 75% At drop off threatened with a charge for non-existent damage "
Value for Money: 4 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 1 Expediency of Drop-off: 4 Condition of the Vehicle: 4
" Not cost effective now "
" The full insurance makes car hire very expensive now what I paid for a week is far more than I pay for a year "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Good "
" Everything went very smoothly. "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Ok "
" 10/10 "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" 10/10 "
" 9/10 "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" . "
" All went smoothly and we had no problems. Staff were courteous and we were pleased with the car provided. "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Very happy with the service "
" Excellent friendly and efficient staff at Santander, and from Auto Europe in dealing with some minor complications before the trip began. "
Value for Money: 8 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Overall very good "
" Drop off at Santiago needs signage directions and on office as there were none "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 5 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" The problem was with ok, not with auto Europe. For the amount I paid could have rented a better car with a better company "
" I was charged 50 euros for pickup after 10 pm, none of the other companies charge that. I picked up the car before the closing time. The flight was delayed for 15 minutes, the expected arrival was 9'45 pm and landed around 10. I will never rent with ok again and I have already told my friends about it. "
Value for Money: 1 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 3 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" Per my comments above, I would expect a rental car to be at least mechanically sound. "
" There was no issue with the customer service, however the car we were given was in very poor shape. There were dents and scratches all over the car making it difficult to keep track of any potential new scratches whenever we got back to the car. Also, halfway through our journey the check engine light came on and the engine made funny sounds. Then it went back to normal. This happened a few times over the course of the weekend and was intermittent so we didnt know whether to report it. "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 2
" NA "
" They have taken over £300 from my credit card without explanation and their customer service number is impossible to get in touch with. Rubbish........ "
Value for Money: 1 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 9
" Quick and easy "
" Quick and easy "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 10
" See above "
" We had booked the car at a specific time and ended up waiting for 45 minutes, with children, for the car to be prepared. There was a problem with the rear seat belts and mid way through the week, they warning light for deflated tyres came up. "
Value for Money: 3 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 1 Expediency of Drop-off: 8 Condition of the Vehicle: 3
" Comments as above "
" When we arrived at the Santander rail station location there was no car available - we were offered a lower class vehicle but - due to the kindness of an elderly couple who were renting a higher class vehicle - were offered an Opel Insignia. This in itself was not in itself a bad choice of vehicle but we were expecting a 'Quashqai or similar'. The car was also heavily scratched & had not been prepared prior to rental. We had to take this as we were advised of a minimum 3 hour wait for the mercedes that was assigned to us! Drop off at the airport was impeccable, however. "
Value for Money: 7 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 7 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 2
" Both staff at pick up and drop off were very efficient and helpful. "
" Everything went very smoothly. "
Value for Money: 10 Efficiency of Counter Staff: 10 Expediency of Drop-off: 10 Condition of the Vehicle: 7
" Jorge was great "
" I use you quite frequently and I am always happy with the service provided as I am on this occasion save in one respect. My flight times were changed slightly before departure. I phoned you to check whether my booking needed amendment. The call was short. However the cost of the call was out of all proportion to its length. Cannot you use a cheaper number? "
" excellent service "
" Good company to deal with, nothing hidden, and good car. unlike other top companies. "
" Fast service, friendly staff, pleasure to deal with. "
" Would prefer a discounted pre-arranged 'full insurance' option to be available when booking. "
" No problems. The collection process could have been faster. "